Hearing his stories, knowing he was keeping our people’s memory alive? It made us feel less guilty, somehow, for leaving that all behind.
Besides, here on Eastshore Isle, we were building a new home, a new identity. A new clan, even though we’d all been born in different places. Giza was in charge of keeping that alive.
So when we were all gathered around the bonfire and he lit it, a hush fell over us. I glanced around, noting the familiar and new faces; mainly orcs and their Mates, but a few others.
Abydos was across the fire, and despite the edginess in my stomach, I was beyond glad to see him. I’d spent thebetter part of a decade working for him—caringfor him, keeping his life in line, and I was delighted by the change Riven had wrought.
Tarkhan stood beside him—he had been Abydos’s best friend since childhood—with his Mate Sami, who was Riven and Brooke’s cousin. He viewed the world with a good-natured smile, his arm thrown around his Mate.
Abydos’s twin brother Aswan had one arm around his Mate Hannah, the other holding a toddler on his shoulders. His daughter Tova clung to his leg while his oldest son Ben stood at his mother’s side. I’d been grateful for the way he’d opened his home more than once to me and the other Bramblewood orcs, making us the foods we remembered from his restaurant in Colorado.
Akhmim and his Mate Rosemary stood behind them; I remembered Akhmim as a quiet young male, but he appeared to have blossomed here on the island, like so many others. I knew his Mate taught school with Sakkara’s Mate Nikki, who stood with Sakkara and young Emmy off to one side. Sakkara, like Garrak, held himself apart, the way a chief should, watching over his people.
Since moving here, I’d been able to meet Abydos and Aswan’s younger brothers, Simbel and Memnon. Memnon was remarkably like Abydos, both in attitude—grumpy—and reverence for nature. He and his Mate Maya ran the local landscaping business and plant store. Simbel was still in uniform from his position at the local high school and seemed to be delighting in teasing his new teenage son while his Mate Rissa rolled her eyes.
The others…
The others were all males I’d gotten to know in various forms since moving here to Eastshore. Giza was our memory keeper, the one who kept our records in his own skin. His Mate Harper was younger than him by more than a decade, and was laughing as she strapped their baby daughter into the carrier on his chest.
Perpetually grumpy Cairo, who ran the autobody shop, ignored everyone around him as he bent to kiss his Mate’s neck. Meli, the town’s cheerful baker, giggled and swatted him before pulling him closer. My ownKteerrumbled in longing at the sight, and I had to turn away…
Only to catch Jess, Eastshore’s Community Development Coordinator, stretching up on her toes to press her lips against her Mate’s jaw. Karnak still didn’t look comfortable in crowds, and I’ll confess I’d only met him briefly, but I knew his art had quite a large online following.
Speaking of which, anyone who used social media knew of charming Thebes, whose online following had dubbed him a sort of ambassador for orc-kind, making it easier for us to come out of the shadows. His Mate Ashlyn traveled in the same circles as Abydos and Sami, and I’m pretty sure she owned most of Eastshore’s historic district.
There were others I didn’t know, but some I recognized, like good-natured Luxor and his more serious Mate, the librarian Zoe. As always, they cuddled with their enthusiastic dog, whose name I couldn’t remember. It was an amusing contrast to Tanis and his talented Mate Liv—Olivia Zhang, the famous violinist—who each carried one of their twin sons.
Seeing them all gathered here tonight…
I swallowed.
Fuck me, myKteerwas pulling me in all directions. Fierce joy, to be surrounded by so many of my brothers, even those I didn’t know. Frantic confusion, as I searched for something I couldn’t name. And under it all, a desperate sort ofneedthat these males and their loving Mates weren’t helping.
Some of them I’d known—or at least knownof—for years. Some of them I’d only just met since moving to Eastshore. All of them had been atKap’parallast month, and some I’d seen since then. It was strange to be among so many of my brothers, brothers I barely knew, and still feel as if I belonged.
We all belonged.
As the flames leapt higher, Giza lifted his hands. “Friends, welcome to the Solstice Circle. In our ancestors’ time, this was a sacred night, a night of new beginnings. We would extinguish our cookfires and gather to light a large fire, like this one, as a community. We would feast and stay awake all night, pushing back the darkness. And in the morning, when the sun rose, and we knew the days were finally growing longer, we’d take a spark from this fire back to our homes, to light our fire for the new year.”
He slowly lowered his hands and grinned at his audience, the light catching the memory tattoos on his cheeks and making them dance. “This year, we opted not to stay awake all night. Well…” He looked down at the gurgling baby he wore strapped to his chest. “Someof us.”
There was chuckling around the circle, and when one of Tanis’s twins let out a loud “Ba-aba-baba-ab!”, there was more laughter.
Giza had joined in, but now he took control again. “Thank you for being here, friends. The words are simple.Torvor the Strong, keep us safe.”
Although I’d never participated in a Solstice Circle, I dutifully repeated the words, along with those gathered. “Torvor the Strong, keep us safe.”
As I did, I felt Brooke’s gaze on me, and shifted my attention across the circle, where she stood beside her sister and mother. When Giza spoke again, I kept my eyes on her.
“Palton the Hunter, keep us fed.”
“Palton the Hunter,” I repeated with the rest of the crowd, “keep us fed.”
Giza stepped closer to the fire, his hands raised again to create shadows on the orcs and humans standing behind him, and his voice rose.“Malla the Beginner, smile over us!”
Even I could feel the energy present. I couldn’t say if it was the gods, or the fire, or the night, or the souls of those around us. “Malla the Beginner, smile over us!”
Could Brooke feel it too?
